Valve for internal-combustion engines.



r w. G. BUCK. VALVE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED JULY I, I915.

WILMER e. BUcKfor' FREMONT, NEBRASKA.

VALVE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Application filed July 1, 1915. Serial 37,565.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILMER G. BUCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fremont, in the county of Dodge and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a valve adapted and arranged to control the gas in- .let of an internal combustion engine.

The object of the invention is to arrange a valve, which, in addition-to the usual up and down movement, will be given a rotative movement at each operation thereof so that the position of a given portion of. the valve head will be changed and shifted during the operation of the valve.

A further object of the invention is to produce this operative movement by reason of the construction and arrangement of portions of the valve structure and allow of the operation of the valve, so far as opening and closing is concerned, in the same manner in which it is now carried out.

The invention further consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and clalmed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a cross sec-v tion of a portion of an internal combust on engine showing the valve of the present 1nvention in operative position; and Flg. 2 1s a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the art to which the present invention relates, difliculty has been experlenced in two respects. First, the inlet valve of mternal combustion engines will be constantly subjected to the action of hot gases passing through the exhaust port, and in case of cars driven at a substantial speed for a length of time, this results 1n a warping of the valve to a degree whereby its action is checked, and this, of course, stops the entire operation of the engine, and cars used 111 any manner whatsoever have the Valves pounded out of shape at the polnt where their head engages the seat of the lnlet valve opening with a result that a frequent regrinding is necessary. This operation is laborious and is a source of great annoyance to automobile users.

In the present invention, by providing means to impart a rotative movement to the valve in addition to the up and down movement both of the above noted objections are eliminated.

Referring now to the drawings, a portion of a gas engine structure is shown embodylng the usual cylinder 3, gas inlet passage 4, gas exhaust passage 5, and the threaded opening 6 above the exhaust in which is fitted the usual cap or closure. The valve with which the present invention is concerned controls the inlet passage and consists of a head 7 adapted to seat against a valve seat 8. This head is carried by a valve stem 9 andat the lower end of the valve stem 1s affixed a collar 10 formed at its upper edge wlth a clutch surface 11, which collar terminates in a conical shaped member 12 within the lower part of which is fitted a split conical washer 13 and the valve stem has secured to its lower end a ring or collar lfl which serves to hold the washer in positlon. Surrounding the conical member 12 is a cup-shaped member 15 and interposed between the inner surface of this cup-shaped member and the outer wall of the conical member is a series of balls or other antifriction members 16.

A sleeve 17 is secured in any suitable member to the engine structure, and extending around the outside of this sleeve and bearing against the-cup-shaped member 15 at one end and against the'engine structure at the other end, is a coil spring 18 which serves to keep the cup-shaped member 15,

collar 10 and valve stem 9 normally downward, as shown in Fig. 1. L I

The interior of the sleeve 17 is formed with a spiral thread 19. Adapted to mesh with the spiral thread 19 is a spiral thread 20 formed on the periphery of a tubular member 21 which is loosely mountedxupon the valve stem 9, and above this tubular member is placed a pin 22, the function of which will hereinafter appear. The valve is raised and lowered through the action of the ordinary tappet member 23. The foregoing is a description of the parts which enter into the construction of the valve of the present invention.

To refer now to the operation, assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the valve is closed, and assuming the tappet member is operated to 0 en the valve, said tappet member will strike the lower end of the valve stem giving to it an upward movement, this, of course, unseats the valve head from the valve seat 8, and

after the initial portion of the raising movement has been completed the clutch surface 11 on the collar 10 will engage with a clutch surface 24 on the lower part of the tubular member 21, and an interlocking engagement is thus effected between such tubular member and the valve stem, since the collar 10 is, as previously explained, fixedly secured to the valve stem and moves as a part thereof. After this interlocking connection has been effected, a further upward movement of the valve stem will carry the tubular member 21 upward therewith, and by the engagement of the threads on said tubular member with the threads 19 on the interior of the sleeve 17, a rotative movement will be imparted to the tubular member 21, and by reason of the interlocking engagement between the collar 10 and member 21 a rotative movement will be imparted to the collar and through the collar to the valve stem 9 and thus to the valve head 8. So at each upward movement of the valve stem a rotative movement will'be imparted to the valve, so that a continuous changing of the part of the valve which engages the seat will be effected and a continuous changing of the part of the valve exposed to the action of the hot exhaust gases will be effected. Thus, by continuously shifting the valve in the manner previously described, a warping of the valve by the action of the hot exhaust gases continuously playing upon the same part thereof and a pounding of the valve by'a continuous striking of the same part of the valve head against the valve seat is eliminated; that is tosay, the valve is subjected to the above mentioned forces at all parts thereof, and hence will not get out of order by reason of the application of such forces continuously at a single point.

When the tappet ceases its action against the valve the spring 18 immediately acts to force the collar 15 downward which carries the collar 10, stem 9 and head 7 downward. It should be explained that when the valve is raised there is a, lost motion between the tubular member 21 and the valve stem due to the distance which the clutch surfaces 11 and 24 arespaced apart; that is no clutch engagement will be effected before the valve stem has been raised a predetermined distance. This raising of the valve stemcwithont moving the tubular member 21 will. necessarily raise the pin 22 away from the upper end of the tubular member, hence in the upward movement this pin is spaced apart from the upperedge of the tubular member, but when the valve moves downward the spring acts immediately to pull the clutch surface 11 out of engagement with the clutch surface 24:, and when this clutch connection has been broken the pin 22 engages the upper end of the tubular member and movesit downward. Since, however, the tubular member is loosely mounted on the valve stem, the rotation of the tubular member in its downward movement does not impart any rotative movement to the valve stem owing to the breakage of the clutch connection, and hence the valve is rotated only upon its upward movement.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the invention is cheap and simple of construction and contains no involved parts liable to become worn, nor does it change any of the main or fundamental features of the now generally employed valves for this purpose.

Although the valve of the present invention has been described'for expediency in connection with gas inlets, it is understood that it may be readily applied to the gas exhaust and may be in the majority of instances located at this point. It, is further understood that the particular construction described may be changed or varied as desired, providing it is maintained within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a valve the combination of a valve head, a valve stem attached to the head, a member loosely mounted on the valve stem having a spiral thread on the outer surface thereof, a sleeve provided with an interior spiral thread with which said outer spiral thread engages, and means for making and breaking an operative connection between the valve and loosely mounted member, substantially as described.

2. In a valve the combination of a valve head, a valve stem attached to the head, a

'clutch surface on the lower portion of the valve stem, an exteriorly threaded member loosely mounted on the valve stem, a clutch surface on the threaded member adapted to engage with the clutch surface on the valve stem, an interiorly threaded sleeve in which the threaded member operates, and means for efi ecting a clutch connection between the stem and the threaded member when the stem is moved in one direction and breaking said connection when the stem is moved in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

3. In a valve the combination of a valve head, a valve stem attached to the head, a member loosely mounted on the valve stem, means for imparting a rotative movement to the loosely mounted member, means for establishing a connection between the loosely mounted member and valve during the upward movement of the valve, means for breaking said connection at the initial downward movement of the valve, and means for returning the loosely mounted member after said connection has been broken, substantially as described.

4. In a valve the combination of a valve head, a valve stem attached to the head, a member loosely mounted on thevalve stem, means for imparting a rotative movement to the loosely mounted member, means for establishing a clutch connection between the loosely mounted member anigvalve during the upward movement of th valve, means for breaking said clutch connection at the initial downward movement of the valve and a member carried by the valve for engaging said loosely mounted member after said connection has been broken and returning said member to normal position, substantially as described.

5. In a valve, the combination of a valve head, a valve stem attached to the head, means for impartin a rotative movement to the valve about the longitudinal axis of the valve stem and during the longitudinal movement of said stem, a collar on the lower end of the valve stem, a cup-shaped member surrounding the collar, a spring concentric with the valve stem and having one end bearing against said collar, and anti-friction bearing members between the collar and cup-shaped member, substantially as described 6. In a valve, the combination of a valve head, a valve stem attached to the head, means operatively connected for imparting a rotative movement to the valve stem about its longitudinal axis during the longitudinal movement 'of said stem and during the period while the valve is unseated, and a set of anti-friction bearing members for the I valve stem, substantially as described.

WILMER G. BUCK. Witnesses ERNEST FALCONER, A. BRIGGS. 

